Apparatus for the wet treatment of viscose yarns



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APPARATUS FOR THE YI ET TREATMENT OF VI SCOSE YARNS Feb. 1, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

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DMW M for the continuous spinning of viscose rayon.

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United States Patent 0" 3,231,934 APPARATUS FOR THE WET TREATMENT 0F VISCOSE YARNS Giacinto Diotti, Corso Porta Nuova, Milan, Italy Filed June 28, 1963, Ser. No. 291,387 Claims priority, application ltaly, July 12, 1962,

13,954/ 62, Patent 671,786 r 9 Claims. (CL 18-8) This invention relates to an improved spinning plant -In particular, the spinning plant according to this invention, allows all the treatments with liquids, as usually required for producing-a wholly processed and finished rayon viscose yarn: such as fixing, desulphurization, bleaching, a

wash related to each one of aforestated operations, finishing and final drying. The number of operations may ob- The invention relates to spinning plants wherein a filament is continuously advanced, and undergoes a given number of processing steps by means of processing liquors. As already known, aneconomical requirement that cannotbe deviated from, isthe recovery of the processing liquors, that must be keptsuitably separated from one another, the more so as some of them would exert a mutually destructive action upon one another if mixed together. 1*

In many types of known spinning plants, the filaments are continuously advanced along substantially helical paths on devices ofdifferent type and are sprinkled with From the viewpoint of the adthis invention pertains to so called skew roller type,i.e.

to the type comprising a main roller, and one or more auxiliary or advance rollers, that are fitted with their axes slanting in respect of the axis of the main roller. i 1

As known, by such an arrangement, the filaments are caused to travel along a helical path on the revolving rollers, with the pitch of the helix depending mainly on by the roller axesan-d on the roller spac- In such types of spinning plants, the filaments are usually sprinkled with the processingliquors while they are 1 running around the main roller, ,i.e. the roller having .the

Thespinning plant which will be de- A spinning plant consisting of a main roller, and of one advancing roller onlywill be firstly described; however, 1t inust be understood that more than one advancing roller could be provided, in order to have as many filaments advancedat the same time on the same device. For instance, a spinning plant having a plurality of ad vancing rollers, e.g. four, whereon as many filaments are advanced, is disclosedin the U.S.Patent No. 2, 883,259. The verysame principle canbe plant according to this invention;

applied to a spinning A spinning plant according to this inventio n will usually consist of parallelarranged units, with one or more filaments advanced oneachfiunit. By the term filament it is meant here a tow made of a plurality of individual filaments that are being advanced parallely, and that may have been extruded all from the same spinneret, or from more spinnerets.

Each unit comprises a processing roller, and one or more advancing rollers, as well as members for guiding, and possibly the separation of filaments, when more than is conveyed by the filament.

one of them are processed, together with further accessory devices, which do not form part of the invention.

The main processing roller will however be described in detail, since the main features of the invention consist in the design and operation thereof.

Thus, according to the invention, a processing roller is provided which consists of a plurality of zones, that follow axially one another along the roller, and that are designed at least partly, for a processing with a liquid. Such zones may typically comprise three main processing areas with liquors, i.e. fixing, desulphuration, bleaching, each followed by a wash, and possibly a further treatment with a liquor, known as the finish. Finally, a drying zone may be provided, which is not to be considered as a zone of processing with a liquid.

Again according to the invention, each zone wherein the filament is processed with a liquor, is sprinkled with a corresponding bath or liquor, and a portion of each liquor is recovered by gravity in a container, or in a section of a collecting container, which will be called hereinafterthe trough. However, a portion of each liquor flows toward the end of its zone, either owing to creeping and adhesion to the processing roller, or because it The liquor is collected at both ends of each zone so that not even a small fraction thereof may pass to adjacent zones, through openings in the roller walls, to which a suction as applied, so that the liquor is sucked and collected into pockets inside of the roller, and corresponding to each zone, means are provided for conveying the liquor from each zone to a suitable collecting channel.

In particular, the latter means preferably consists of a central cylindrical portion of the processing roller, which is subdivided into as many angular sectors as the liquors to be kept apart, and by which, together with the peripheral wall of the processing roller, an annular, cylin- -drical chamber is defined, and the partition walls, that extend radially across said annular chamber, by which the liquor sucked from each zone is conveyed, while the processing roller is revolving, toward an opening in the aforestated central cylindrical section of the roller, that leads into the sector of said section wherein the particular liquormust be collected.

Then the liquor is drained from its sector by a suction duct, and can be conveniently added to that portion of the wound spirally around said perforated surface.

When more than one advancing roller is provided, a number of substantially helical paths are obtained. .The term helical, as used in this description, is to be construed only as an approximate, not strictly geometric meaning, i.e. to design a path consisting of a succession of uniformly spaced turns, and a filament is routed on each helical path.

A possible sticking and interference of filaments with each other, while they are advanced and processed on the same roller, are prevented by the spacing between the .single paths; this results in a remarkable saving of space and of manpower.

The invention will be better appreciated from the following description of an embodiment form thereof, taken with the accompanying drawings, wherein FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cross-sectioned spinning unit according to the invention, fitted with one advancing roller only.

FIG. 2 is an axial longitudinal section of a processing roller as shown in the FIG. 1, together with a number of devices associated therewith.

FIG. 3 shows on a larger scaie a portion of the cylindrical shell of the processing roller, as shown in the FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 2, i.e. in correspondence of a zone wherein the filament is processed with a liquor, of the processing roller only.

FIG. 5 is another section, taken on the line 55 of FIG. 2, i.e. in correspondence of the zone wherein the processing liquor is collected.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are sections similar to those of FIGS. 4 and 5, respectively taken on the lines 6-6 and 7-7 of PEG. 2, and corresponding to another processing liquor, and in particular to a wash.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the drying zone.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a similar spinning unit, which is however fitted with a plurality (i.e. four) of advancing rollers 11a, 11b, 11c and 11d, whereon as many filaments are being advanced.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the spinning unit as shown in the FIG. 9.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, and in particular to the form shown in the FIGS. 1 to 8 inclusive, 10 is the processing roller and 11 is the corresponding advancing roller, while 12 is the filament.

The processing roller consists, when viewed from the periphery to the center, of an outer cylindrical shell 13, whereon the filaments rest, and of a cylindrical core 14, which is somewhat longer than the shell 13. A number of partition walls 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d, 15c, 15 (see FIG. 2), by which the different processing zones are defined, are located, perpendicularly to the roller axis, between the cylindrical core 14 and the shell 13. The ends of the roller section whereon the filament is processed with liquors, are closed by two further partition walls 16 and 16'. The drying zone is defined by the partition wall 16' and by the end wall 17. It follows that there are 7 zones wherein the filament is processed with liquor, and a drying zone, such zones being designated as follows:

20 is the fixing zone 21 is the zone wherein the filament is washed after the fixing or setting 22 is the desulphurisation zone 23 is a washing zone after the desulphurisation 24 is the bleaching zone 25 is the washing zone after the bleaching 26 is the finishing zone 27 is the drying zone For a better understanding of the design and operation of the device, it will be expedient to follow the path of a processing bath, e.g. for convenience, of the desulphurisation liquor, which is applied to the zone 22. A portion of such liquor is collected by gravity in the underlying zone of a trough 30 which is fitted with partition walls that are located substantially below the middlelines of the partition walls 15, and which is also equipped with a series of collecting pipes, as described in more detail later.

The portion of desulphurating liquor that does not fall into the corresponding zone of trough 3t), flows toward both zone ends, till the perforated sections 31 and 32, as shown enlarged in the FIG. 3, are encountered at both ends of the zone 22. The liquor, sucked through said perforated sections by means of the devices which will be described in more detail later, flows into the annular chambers 33 and 34, and then it is transferred, through the ducts 35 and 36, into a central chamber 37, that is located between the shell 13 and the cylindrical core 14.

The small annular chambers 33 and 34 are outwardly defined by the partition walls 38 and 39, by which the desulphurisation liquor is prevented from flowing into the chambers 40 and 41, that correspond to the adjacent Washing zones 21 and 23.

Referring now particularly to FIG. 4, it can be seen that the chamber 37 is subdivided into many sections by partition walls 42, 43, 44, 45 that are curved in the manner of a vane and that extend in an approximately radial direction. The partition walls 42, 43 and 44 are respectively formed with the orifices while the partition wall 45 is solid. Then, the liquid which has entered the chamber 37, into any one of the spaces as defined by two adjacent partition walls, is lifted when the processing roller is revolving (in a clockwise direction, as in the FIG. 4) by each partition wall 42, 43 and 44, and on attaining the corresponding orifice, it will fall down into the underlying sector, to be then engaged by the subsequent partition wall, and so on, until it comes into contact with the partition wall 45, wherein no orifice is present. However, an orifice 49 is formed on the central core, near said partition wall 45.

When the top position is attained by said opening 49 during the rotation of same device, the liquid will flow through said opening into the corresponding sector 62 of the central cylindrical core 14. Such sector extends longitudinally along the central cylindrical core 14, and the liquor will flow therealong to the leftwhen viewed as in FIG. 2-as an effect of the sucking action, that is applied as explained in more detail later, until a zone of core 14 that extends like a bracket outwardly of the outer shell 13, is encountered. The sector 50 is formed with an orifice 52 opposite to said bracket like section 51 (see FIG. 5). The liquor is thus discharged through the orifice 52, and falls down into a compartment 53 of an outer cylindrical container 61. The cylindrical container 61 is also fitted with a sucking duct 55. The suction is adjusted in such a manner that the liquor cannot be forced into the orifice 55, but merely flows by gravity into the pipe 54. The pipe 54 is connected with a further liquor recovery pipe (not shown) that is in turn connected with the piping 56 of the trough 30.

Each zone of processing with a liquid is fitted with a similar assembly, and one of the sectors 62, 63, 64, 65 of the central core 14 is assigned to each liquor which is to be kept separated from all others.

Thus, said central core is formed with orifices whose angular position is determined by that of the correspondmg sectors. However, the three washing liquids are not to be kept separated, so that only one sector 66, having a greater angular width, is assigned thereto, and the corresponding orifices in the core 14 are located on the same angular position. The piping system corresponding to one of the washing liquids is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 8 IS a cross-sectional view of the drying zone 27, that comprises a perforated section 57, through which hot air is blown through a duct 58 and a cylindrical slide valve. Then, the air is discharged through the duct 60, together with the water vapour evolved from the filament which is being dried.

Obviously, the above described main roller 10 must be mounted on suitable bearings, and it must be equipped with a suitable drive, which however will be neither described nor shown in the drawing, since it is a matter of already well known components, with which all persons skilled in the art are throughly familiar and that does not form a part of the invention.

Also the advancing roller 11 is mounted on suitable bearings, which must be adjustable, to allow the roller to be located at the required distance from the main roller, and under the required inclination with respect thereto. However, the advancing roller may be not directly driven, i.e. it could be caused to turn by the high count A further embodiment of the invention, wherein one main roller, having a design similar to that of the first embodiment, is associated with four advancing rollers 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d, is shown in the FIG. 9, in a manner similar to that of FIG. 1. Four filaments, which are all wound on the main roller, and respectively on one of advancing rollers, are processed at the same time on this device.

In the practice, a spinning plant will consist of a number of units as shown in FIGS. 1 to 8 inclusive, or in FIG. '9, and that are parallel connected as shown in FIG. 10. Neither the means for producing the filaments, that consist in a number of spinuerets, each provided with the means by which the viscose solution is supplied, and with a suitable coagulating bath, as well as with the godet wheel, nor the funnel and spinning bucket, wherein the processed filaments are collected in the form of a cake, and that might be of any suitable type areshown in the drawing. v Q

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings, as may be readily conceived by any person skilled in the art. Therefore, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details specifically described or illustrated, and that within the scope of the appended claims it may be practised otherwise than as specifically described or illustrated.

What I claim is:

1. In an apparatus for the continuous wet treatment of viscose rayon yarns by successively and individually contacting said yarns with different processing fluids as said yarns are continuously helically progressed about and along a processing roller having an outer cylindrical surface, wherein individual processing fluids are caused to contact said yarns at different processing individual zones lengthwise on said surface and each circumferentially extended about said surface, a processing roller comprising an outer shell defining said outer surface and an inner cylindrical space, an inner shell coaxial to and extending along the axis of said outer shell through a pl-urality of said zones defining a core space, a plurality of circumferentially spaced partitions radially arranged in said inner shell to define a plurality of passages parallel to said axis in said core space, said outer shell having pairs of rows of orifices circumfercntia-lly arranged adjacent to the borders between said processing zones, transverse partitions lengthwise spaced between said outer and inner shells in the planes defined by said borders to define individual fluid collecting chambers about said inner shell and each communicating with said outer surface through rows of said orifices, said inner shell having openings formed in longitudinal and circumferential spaced relationship for individual communication of said chambers with individually selected passages in said core space whereby diflerent processing fluids collected through said orifices into different collecting chambers may be individually exhausted and recovered through different passages in said core space.

2. In an apparatus forthe wet treatment of viscose rayon yarns with successively applying differing processing fluids caused to continuously helically progress about and along a plurality of processingpzones axially arranged in the length of the outer cylindrical surface of a processing roller supported and driven for rotation about an essentially horizontal axis, a processing roller comprising an outer cylindrical shell outwardly forming a processing surface including said zones in the length thereof, an inner shell co-axial to and forming a hollow cylindrical interspace with said outer shell, transverse partition walls in said intersp'ace in the planes including the borders between said zones to form individual collecting chambers circumferentially extended in said interspace and each located to correspond to an individual processing zone, said outer shell having circumferentially arranged rows A sashes;

of orifices adjacent to said planes for communication of each zone to the corresponding collecting chamber adjacent to said borders, a core space in said inner shell,

longitudinal radially arranged and circumferentially spaced partitions in said core space to form individual passages thereinto and therealong, and axially and circumferentially spaced passages in said inner shell for selective communication of individual collecting chambers with individual passages in said core space for selective exhaustion and recovery therefrom of differing fluids collected in said chamber from said zones.

3. In a processing roller as defined in claim 2, wherein vane partitions are provided in said collecting chambers extending between said outer and inner shells for raising fluids collected in the lower portions of said chamber at the level of said orifices upon rotation of said roller for causing said fluids to progress from said chambers into said passages in said core space. i 4. In the apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein said processing roller comprises an inner shell axially extended outside an end portion of said roller, and axially and circumferentially spaced outlet openings in the extended part of said inner shell for selective exhaustion of individual fluids flowing from said individual passages into spaced individual collecting and recovery troughs located below said axially spaced outlet openings.

5. In the apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein said extended part and outlet openings are confined into an enclosure adapted for connection to a source of vacuum for applying a suction to the openings on the processing zones of roller.

6. In an apparatus for the continuous wet treatment of viscose rayon yarns with individually and sequentially applying different processing fluids and washing fluids to said yarns as said yarns are caused to helically progress along and about a plurality of co-axial and co-planar processing zones formed in the length of the outer cylindrical surface of a processing roller supported and driven for continuous rotation about the axis thereof, said zones extending circumferentially of said surface and the borders between adjacent zones being defined by spaced planes perpendicular to said axis, a processing roller comprising inner and outer co-axial shells defining a hollow cylindrical interspace thenebetween, said inner shell extetnding outside of said outer shell, said surface being formed by the outer face of said outer shell and a core space formed within said inner shell, transverse partitions located in said planes in said interspace to divide said interpace into individual collecting chambers each corresponding to one of said zones, said outer shell having rows of openings circumferentially arranged adjacent to said planes for communication of each zone with its corresponding chamber adjacent to its borders, whereby diiferlng processing and washingfluids individually applied to said yarns as progressing on diflering zones may be individually and selectively collected into different chambers upon applying suction to said openings, circumferentially arranged partitions extended lengthwise in said core space for defining therein separate passages parallel to said axis and extending outside said roller, said inner shell having axially spaced openings for =cornmunication of all chambers wherein washing fluid is collected in one of said passages, other axially and circumferentially spaced passages formed in said inner shell for selective communication of said chambers wherein dif ferent processing fluids are collected with dilferent other ones of said passages, means in said chamber for causing the fluids collected therein to reach said openings upon rotation of said roller, and individual outlet ports in said inner shell in the part thereof extended outside said outer shell for selective communication of each passage with individual exhaustion and recovery means for selective recovery of said washing and different processing fluids.

7. In the processing roller as defined in claim 6, wherein said processing zones and washing zones are alternately located lengthwise of said surface, and a plurality of passages formed in said inner shell leading to one passage therein and all chambers corresponding to all washing zones.

8. In the processing roller as defined in claim 6, wherein a drying zone is formed on said surface adjacent one end of said roller, opposite to the end outside of which said passages extend outside said roller, wherein said outer shell is perforated in said Zone, and wherein a transverse partition is arranged in the plane between said zone and the adjacent processing zone to separate the space inside said shell in said zone from the interspace and core space inside said adjacent zone, whereby a hot fluid supplied into said space inside said drying zone is caused to contact and act on yarns helically progressed from said adjacent zone about and along said drying zone.

9. In the processing roller as defined in claim 8, wherein a duct connected to a source of hot fluid is located at one end of said roller for supplying hot fluid into said space inside said drying zone.

8 References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 4/1917 Biesel 210404 X 9/1950 Rodgers 264-495 9/1950 Rodgers 264-195 1/1951 Van Hall et a1. 264-195 X 12/1954 Bultrnan 210-404 5/1956 Saunders 210404 X 6/1959 Buttolph 210404 3/1962 ompass 188 3/1964 Frykhult 210404 X FOREIGN PATENTS 10/1957 Germany. 1/1958 Sweden.

WILLIAM J. STEPHENSON, Primary Examiner.

MICHAEL V. BRINDISI, Examiner.

20 L. S. SQUIRES, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN AN APPARATUS FOR THE CONTINUOUS WET TREATMENT OF VISCOSE RAYON YARNS BY SUCCESSIVELY AND INDIVIDUALLY CONTACTING SAID YARNS WITH DIFFERENT PROCESSING FLUIDS AS SAID YARNS ARE CONTINUOUSLY HELICALLY PROGRESSED ABOUT AND ALONG A PROCESSING ROLLER HAVING AN OUTER CYLINDRICAL SURFACE, WHEREIN INDIVIDUAL PROCESSING FLUIDS ARE CAUSED TO CONTACT SAID YARN AT DIFFERENT PROCESSING INDIVIDUAL ZONES LENGTHWISE ON SAID SURFACE AND EACH CIRCUMFERENTIALLY EXTENDED ABOUT SAID SURFACE, A PROCESSING ROLLER COMPRISING AN OUTER SHELL DEFINING SAID OUTER SURFACE AND AN INNER CYLINDRIAL SPACE, AN INNER SHEEL COAXIAL TO AND EXTENDING ALONG THE AXIS OF SAID OUTER SHELL THROUGH A PLURALITY OF SAID ZONES DEFINING A CORE SPACE, A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED PARTITIONS RADIALLY ARRANGED IN SAID INNER SHELL TO DEFINE A PLURALITY OF PASSAGES PARALLEL TO SAID AXIS IN SAID CORE SPACE, SAID OUTER SHEEL HAVING PAIRS OF ROWS OF ORIFICES CIRCUMFERENTIALLY ARRANGED ADJACENT TO THE BORDERS BETWEEN SAID PROCESSING ZONES, TRANSVERSE PARTITIONS LENGTHWISE SPACED BETWEEN SAID OUTER AND INNER SHELLS IN THE PLANES DEFINED BY SAID BORDER TO DEFINE INDIVIDUAL FLUID COLLECTING CHAMBERS ABOUT SAID INNER SHELL AND EACH COMMUNICATING WITH SAID OUTER SURFACE THROUGH ROWS OF SAID ORIFICES, SAID INNER SHELL HAVING OPENINGS FORMED IN LONGITUDINAL AND CIRCUMFERENTIAL SPACED RELATIONSHIP FOR INDIVIDUAL COMMUNICATION OF SAID CHAMBERS WITH INDIVIDUALLY SELECTED PASSAGES IN SAID CORE SPACE WHEREBY DIFFERENT PROCESSING FLUIDS COLLECTED THROUGH SAID ORIFICES INTO DIFFERENT COLLECTING CHAMBERS MAY BE INDIVIDUALLY EXHAUSTED AND RECOVERED THROUGH DIFFERENT PASSAGES IN SAID CORE SPACE. 